The Best is Yet to Come

25 year Anniversary Service

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

And none of it happened because of one person.

It happened because ordinary people said yes to an extraordinary God.

And today we get to do two things.

We REMEMBER what God has done.

And then…

We DREAM about what God is going to do next.

STONES OF REMEMBRANCE

• Joshua 4:2–3 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
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God basically says:

..DON’T FORGET WHO BROUGHT YOU ACROSS.

That’s what this 25th anniversary is for us.

We’re picking up some stones.

People are our stones.

LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!

The stones weren’t primarily for the people who crossed the river. They were for people who hadn’t even been born yet.

• Joshua 4:6–7 “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD… These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
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God was already thinking about the next generation.

The stones turned yesterday’s miracle into tomorrow’s faith..

We remember what God did yesterday so we’ll have faith for what He wants to do tomorrow.

That’s why our vision still matters:

• KNOW GOD.

Because every person who meets Jesus becomes another stone.

• GROW HEALTHY.

Because every broken life God restores becomes another stone.

• DISCOVER PURPOSE.

Because every person who discovers God’s calling becomes another stone.

• MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
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the God who has been faithful to Oasis for 25 years isn’t finished with us yet.

“WHO WILL BE SITTING HERE 25 YEARS FROM NOW BECAUSE OF WHAT WE DO TODAY?”

Those aren’t four church programs.

They describe the life Jesus came to give us.

Our Vision:

• KNOW GOD
• You were made to be connected to God.
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John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Everything starts here. Not knowing about God—knowing God. Every service, every ministry, every invitation ultimately points people toward a relationship with Jesus.

• God wants you to LIVE LIFE ON AN Spiritual ADVENTURE

John 10:10“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Because the first step is knowing God but the second is just as important.

WE are called to

• GROW HEALTHY
• God doesn’t just want to save you. He wants to heal you.
• God wants you to LIVE LIFE WITH JOY AND PEACE
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John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Psalm 147:3m “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

We believe your past can explain you without having to define you.

GOD DOESN’T WASTE YOUR WOUNDS.

• DISCOVER PURPOSE
• And God didn’t just save you FROM Something GOD SAVED YOU FOR SOMETHING.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

• God wants you to LIVE LIFE FULFILLED
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Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Notice those words: path, life, joy, presence.

Fulfillment comes when the life I am living begins to align with the life God created me to live.

My life isn’t just about me.

“God put something inside me that somebody else needs.”

Because fulfillment isn’t found in getting more.

Fulfillment is found in becoming who God created you to be.

• MAKE A DIFFERENCE
• God didn’t give you a purpose just to fulfill you. He gave you a purpose to impact others.
• God wants you to LIVE LIFE ON MISSION
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Matthew 5:14–16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Philippians 3:13–14 “ But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

We can become so sentimental about yesterday that we stop dreaming about tomorrow.

We should honor yesterday.

We should celebrate yesterday.

We should learn from yesterday.

But… THE ANCHOR OF YESTERDAY CAN HOLD BACK OUR TOMORROW.

Isaiah 43:18 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

I SEE A NEW THING.

I SEE MORE PEOPLE MEETING JESUS.

Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”

That’s why you received that keychain today.

But I want it to represent something enormous.

Someone’s eternity.

So put it on your keys.

And when God opens a door, use it.

Invite somebody.

Share your story.

Tell somebody what Jesus has done for you.

And God may use YOU to reach them.

WHO WILL BE SITTING HERE NEXT YEAR BECAUSE OF YOU?

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

Twenty-five years ago, we started building stones.

LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE.

LOOK WHAT THE LORD IS ABOUT TO DO.

Oasis…

Keep knowing God.

Keep growing healthy.

Keep discovering purpose.

Keep making a difference.

Keep inviting.

Keep serving.

Keep giving.

Keep believing.

Keep dreaming.

Because the God who was faithful yesterday…

is already waiting for us tomorrow.

And I believe with everything inside of me:

OUR GREATEST SERVICES HAVE NOT HAPPENED YET.

OUR GREATEST SALVATIONS HAVE NOT HAPPENED YET.

OUR GREATEST MIRACLES HAVE NOT HAPPENED YET.

OUR GREATEST IMPACT HAS NOT HAPPENED YET.

Twenty-five years are behind us.

But eternity is in front of us.